The work being done by the student stone carvers is amazing, but then, they are being trained by some of the best in the business.
We recently supplied a block of the French Lavoux Fin limestone to Fyfe Sands, one of the third year students on the Stone Carving course at the City and Guilds Art College in London. The block is for one of his course work pieces - a pair of capitals (the stone scrolls that sit on top of architectural columns). When the block was ready to be delivered, Fyfe invited me to the college stone carving studio to see the other students' work and to meet some of the tutors.
There are 18 student stone carvers currently on the 3 year course. The quality of the carvings is extremely impressive. Some of the "work-in-progress" third year pieces are below:
Fyfe introduced me first to some of the students as they were working on their project pieces. Their enthusiasm for what they are doing is completely infectious. As part of their training, the students are encouraged to source their own stone to get an understanding of how to identify suitable stone, liaise with suppliers, negotiate prices and plan in the lead times.
I also met two of the principal tutors on the stone carving course - Nina Bilbey and Tim Crawley. Nina and Tim have both used the French Lavoux limestone before and are very accomplished stone carvers. The college is fortunate to have carvers of such calibre as tutors. As well as their work in the college, they also take on commissions for private projects.
Nina has also worked on the Houses of Parliament, the Royal Barge, St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle and many more prestigious projects.
He is currently working on two heraldic greyhounds for the exterior of a small chapel. They will replace the original greyhounds that date back to the Tudor era. We supplied the two blocks of Lavoux à Grain and we're looking forward to seeing the finished pieces.
Tim explained how the college operates as a charity and, with a relatively limited budget for materials, really appreciates help from quarries so that the students get the best experience of working with high quality stone.
If any stone quarries would like to support the college by supplying stone blocks for future projects, I'm sure the college would appreciate a donation. Please contact them directly here: C&G contact
During this summer term, there is a carving competition which will allow the students to show off their skills at the end of term open day. To help out, Pierre Heritage GB (our sister company specialising in French Limestone for trade clients) and Amarestone, together with Pierre Heritage (France) and the Carrières de la Vienne quarry company have donated 18 blocks of the finest Lavoux Fin stone for the carving competition and a further 12 blocks of Rocheville French limestone for a final year project.
The open days in May form part of the London Craft Week. You can visit the Stone Carver studio and the other art departments of the college on May 11th and 12th 2018. Further details here: https://www.cityandguildsartschool.ac.uk/london-craft-week-2018/ or download the flier here: London Craft Week
If you have any other questions or need expert help with your natural stone project, please call us on 0345 260 80 70 or email steve@amarestone.com.
Thanks for reading.
Steve Turner
Amarestone
Tel: 0345 260 8070